Queer It Yourself

Friday August 12th to Monday August 15th

Calling all queer creators! That means crafters, artisans, designers, builders, gardeners, and creators of all types! You might not even think of yourself as a creator, but you probably are. And we want you to join us!

Come one and all to the first ever Queer It Yourself, a celebration and exploration of the insatiable queer creative spirit! Let’s join together under the redwoods for a weekend of co-creation and co-inspiration, of revelry and rejuvenation, and of showing off all the fabulous things we love to create year-round.

Queer It Yourself is similar to our queer creatives retreat, Muse, but with a focus on queer creativity and craftiness that goes beyond what many consider art. Of course, we know there is art in everything, and so there is a natural sharing between the two programs. At this event we aim to have workshops, games, and collaborative projects that focus on passions like: natural building, herbal potions, woodcarving, wildcrafting, LED light sculptures, and beer brewing, to name a scant few of the possibilities.

We want you to help us build this event. Teach a skillshare, lead a group project, or even just share your own talents with the community. Consider what you could add and then let us know by e-mail.

There will also be a large-scale collaborative sculptural project. Together, we will build a statue in the woods, made of natural materials and inspired by shared vision. Rather than destroying this sculpture at the end of the event we will let it stand and decay. Eventually we hope to create a series of decomposing works of art in the woods – testaments to the beauty of group creative power and the natural world.

Queer It Yourself will also be a time for exploration of our shared creative spirit and how we create cultural change. Every time we create and share our creations we are changing the culture, queering it ourselves. We will have guided discussions around these topics throughout the weekend. We will also have unguided ones as we relax in the sun or in the pond.

*** Groundswell events are only open to adults. You must be over 18 to attend***